what is this stuff?

This is a discussion on what is this stuff? within the Beginner Freshwater Aquarium forums, part of the Freshwater Fish and Aquariums category; -->
my son's dwarf frog tank had the same thing in it ( white cloudy growth) i cleaned it out last night. i too have ...

my son's dwarf frog tank had the same thing in it ( white cloudy growth) i cleaned it out last night. i too have never seen anything like this, i contributed it to a lack of water flow since i do not have a filter or any air stones in the tank. i added a low volume filter to see if it will keep it from happening again.

my son's dwarf frog tank had the same thing in it ( white cloudy growth) i cleaned it out last night. i too have never seen anything like this, i contributed it to a lack of water flow since i do not have a filter or any air stones in the tank. i added a low volume filter to see if it will keep it from happening again.

Well hmmm let me know if that works I might change the way I have my eheim running then. I might not have it in there right?

OKay I am doing water changes every other day doing about 25% and siphoning the gravel and this fungus won't go away At this point do I just need to break down the tank? If so many of my vals. have shot of runners and new growth on many of the runners. How do I get the plants out with out hurting the new growth and the plants them self? I have eco complete substrate will it be okay to take it and rinse it off ?
Not sure what I will do with the plants will cleaning the substrate? will it be okay just to leave them in the siphoned water?

Byron asked me to stop by and consult here... I just finished reading the entire thread. I am going to need to ask some more questions, so please bear with me.

How big is the tank?
What animals are in it? (what species and how many of each)
How long has it been set up?
You mentioned the substrate is Eco Complete, how long has it been in there? Gravel on top of the Eco Complete? Anything else mixed with the substrate?
Are you adding any chemicals (ferts, vitamins, mineral supplements, water conditioners, etc) to the tank? If so which ones and how much, how often?
What foods are you offering, how much and how often?
What species of live plants are in the tank?
Can you post a clear photo of the entire tank please?
Filtration? You mentioned an Eheim canister... how/where are the intake and spray bar positioned? Any other type of filtration? Power heads, air stones, etc?
And lastly, if you were to try to reach into the tank to pick this fungus up, is that possible? Does it come apart or come up in one mass?
Do you regularly skim out dead/dying plant matter?

Once I have answers to these questions I will have a better idea of what you are dealing with and should be able to make some useful suggestions for you. Most important, don't panic, don't do anything too drastic which could not only harm the plants and animals but could also make the problem worse.

(and yes, there are ways to remove the plants without damaging the new runners, etc... if that needs to be done I can coach you through it, but will warn you it can be a time consuming process)

Byron asked me to stop by and consult here... I just finished reading the entire thread. I am going to need to ask some more questions, so please bear with me.

How big is the tank?
What animals are in it? (what species and how many of each)
How long has it been set up?
You mentioned the substrate is Eco Complete, how long has it been in there? Gravel on top of the Eco Complete? Anything else mixed with the substrate?
Are you adding any chemicals (ferts, vitamins, mineral supplements, water conditioners, etc) to the tank? If so which ones and how much, how often?
What foods are you offering, how much and how often?
What species of live plants are in the tank?
Can you post a clear photo of the entire tank please?
Filtration? You mentioned an Eheim canister... how/where are the intake and spray bar positioned? Any other type of filtration? Power heads, air stones, etc?
And lastly, if you were to try to reach into the tank to pick this fungus up, is that possible? Does it come apart or come up in one mass?
Do you regularly skim out dead/dying plant matter?

Once I have answers to these questions I will have a better idea of what you are dealing with and should be able to make some useful suggestions for you. Most important, don't panic, don't do anything too drastic which could not only harm the plants and animals but could also make the problem worse.

(and yes, there are ways to remove the plants without damaging the new runners, etc... if that needs to be done I can coach you through it, but will warn you it can be a time consuming process)

55 gallons
5 colombian tetra, many bladder snails, and one ramshorn snail ( well have only seen one)
3 weeks give or take a couple of days
Just eco complete
Florish comphersenvie once a week
aquadon fish flakes and blood worms once a day ( not at the same time only one or the other one day)
I have a list of the plants I have in the tank in my profiles in aquariums (also have a pic of the whole tank there)
Just a eheim 2213
I havent tried to pick up the fungus don't think you would be able to like a milky cloud that comes up in the siphon looks really weird! I tryed to email myself some pics of the tank to upload but my email is being picky and I have to be at work shortly soo if You need more pics I will try and send some more tomorrow. the intake and out take of the filter is in one corner with the intake almost at the bottom of the tank and the intake on the top of the tanke spraying against the glass . Intake on the side glass and the outtake on the backglass in one corner. Hope this makes sense.

The picture found in your aquariums section was plenty, thank you. I think I have enough info to offer you some suggestions, though you may not like what I'm about to say.

Your description of the density of this fungus confirmed that it is one I am familiar with, although I cannot put a name to it for you, sorry. What I can tell you is where it is likely coming from and how to go about getting rid of it.

There are a couple of possibilities as to origin and what is causing it and contributing to it. Most likely of those is something in the substrate in those areas of the tank. It may have something to do with the plants in those locations (is this affecting more than 1 species of plant?), and it could also have something to do with the fertilizer you are adding that could be feeding it, or simply helping to provide perfect conditions for it to grow.

The easiest solution I would try if this were my tank would be to remove the plants AND substrate (down to the bottom) in the areas where you notice it growing... anywhere the fungus has touched. Move them to another container, such as a bucket, and watch the tank over the next couple of days to see if this resolves it or if it grows back in another location. That will tell us if this is something localized to those areas of substrate or something that has affected the entire tank.
I know this will sound like a lot of work and expense, but, if the spot removal doesn't eliminate it, I hate to say it but your best bet is going to be to replace your substrate and those specific plants. I prefer a mid grade gravel for my planted tanks and have never dealt with this type of fungus in those tanks. This is a common fungus in terrarium situations where soil is present, and usually comes from the soil, feeding on organics found in the soil.

I can think of a great many tests that could be run to help find effective preventive methods and/or treatments, however, I do not at this time have the space of the time to offer you this service. Normally I love the opportunity to research and test for medication and other chemical treatments for such things, so I am sorry I have to miss out on this one.

I would also suggest you temporarily stop using the fertilizer until this problem is resolved. Healthy plants with a good light source and fish waste for food should do just fine without the ferts for a period of time. Work your way through process of elimination. Remove the spots and plants I mentioned, eliminate the ferts, do a water change, and watch. If it doesn't return, then begin next by adding your ferts, wait a few days and see if it returns. If you wish at that point to try adding those plants again, be sure to clean them good and rinse them with a 50/50 mixture of water and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) before putting them back into the tank, and mark their location to see if the fungus returns where they are planted.

I apologize if this was hard to follow, I am in something of a hurry at the moment. If you need further clarification or have other questions, please ask. I will get to you as quickly as I can.

The picture found in your aquariums section was plenty, thank you. I think I have enough info to offer you some suggestions, though you may not like what I'm about to say.

Your description of the density of this fungus confirmed that it is one I am familiar with, although I cannot put a name to it for you, sorry. What I can tell you is where it is likely coming from and how to go about getting rid of it.

There are a couple of possibilities as to origin and what is causing it and contributing to it. Most likely of those is something in the substrate in those areas of the tank. It may have something to do with the plants in those locations (is this affecting more than 1 species of plant?), and it could also have something to do with the fertilizer you are adding that could be feeding it, or simply helping to provide perfect conditions for it to grow.

The easiest solution I would try if this were my tank would be to remove the plants AND substrate (down to the bottom) in the areas where you notice it growing... anywhere the fungus has touched. Move them to another container, such as a bucket, and watch the tank over the next couple of days to see if this resolves it or if it grows back in another location. That will tell us if this is something localized to those areas of substrate or something that has affected the entire tank.
I know this will sound like a lot of work and expense, but, if the spot removal doesn't eliminate it, I hate to say it but your best bet is going to be to replace your substrate and those specific plants. I prefer a mid grade gravel for my planted tanks and have never dealt with this type of fungus in those tanks. This is a common fungus in terrarium situations where soil is present, and usually comes from the soil, feeding on organics found in the soil.

I can think of a great many tests that could be run to help find effective preventive methods and/or treatments, however, I do not at this time have the space of the time to offer you this service. Normally I love the opportunity to research and test for medication and other chemical treatments for such things, so I am sorry I have to miss out on this one.

I would also suggest you temporarily stop using the fertilizer until this problem is resolved. Healthy plants with a good light source and fish waste for food should do just fine without the ferts for a period of time. Work your way through process of elimination. Remove the spots and plants I mentioned, eliminate the ferts, do a water change, and watch. If it doesn't return, then begin next by adding your ferts, wait a few days and see if it returns. If you wish at that point to try adding those plants again, be sure to clean them good and rinse them with a 50/50 mixture of water and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) before putting them back into the tank, and mark their location to see if the fungus returns where they are planted.

I apologize if this was hard to follow, I am in something of a hurry at the moment. If you need further clarification or have other questions, please ask. I will get to you as quickly as I can.

Okay thanks for the help. I have a ten gallon tank that is sitting empty (well has water and sand substate can I but the effect substrate and plants in that tank? That doesn't sound to bad as I was afraid i was going to have to break down the whole tank I can handle just trying the areas that are effect and moving them. I am not sure if it is effect more the one species of plants I have only noticed it on one ( sorry I can't give you the name of it will have to look it up tomorrow before work.) I have noticed though I moved that plant (can tell you it is a stem plant) and the fungus came back in the substrate without the plant being there? I will do my best this weekend to get the effect parts out and will hold off on the fertizers for now thanks for the suggestions and the help!

Yes the 10 gallon would be perfectly suitable for holding those plants and that substrate temporarily, although you may want to clear out any current substrate in that tank to protect it from cross contamination. (you could bag the substrate currently in there so it could be reused later)

Ad for the fungus growing back when plant was moved, that could indicate that the problem is in the substrate, but there is also the possibility of plant matter from that plant still remaining enough to contribute to the problem. Thats a hard call, especially since I can't see the tank in person.

Keep me posted on your results as you work your way through this and I will consult/help with whatever I can.
Best of luck to you!

Yes the 10 gallon would be perfectly suitable for holding those plants and that substrate temporarily, although you may want to clear out any current substrate in that tank to protect it from cross contamination. (you could bag the substrate currently in there so it could be reused later)

Ad for the fungus growing back when plant was moved, that could indicate that the problem is in the substrate, but there is also the possibility of plant matter from that plant still remaining enough to contribute to the problem. Thats a hard call, especially since I can't see the tank in person.

Keep me posted on your results as you work your way through this and I will consult/help with whatever I can.
Best of luck to you!

Okay soo here is some pics of the tank. The first couple pics show the way the tank was before moving the effected substrate and plants off plus show how I have my filter setup. If there is a better way to setup my filter please tell me.The third Pic is how the tank is after all the changes that I did that I told ya about. Sorry the pics are not the best in the world as they were taking with my cell phone and believe it or not it takes better pics then my cheap camra does LoL